Greensburg (Kansas)
Greensburg è una città statunitense nella contea di Kiowa, nello stato del Kansas, degli Stati Uniti d'America. Secondo il censimento del 2010, aveva una popolazione di 777 abitanti. Il 4 maggio del 2007, Greensburg venne devastata da un tornado di categoria EF5 che si spostava rapidamente nell'area, radendo al suolo circa il 95 percento della città e uccidendo circa 11 persone tra le età di 46 e 84. http://www.kansas.com/2007/05/08/64630/list-of-victims-offer-your-thoughts.html Da allora, seguendo la volontà della maggioranza della popolazione il borgo viene ricostruito seguendo stringenti misure di risparmio energetico e dell'acqua, che dovrebbero permettere a tutti i suoi edifici di raggiungere la difficile categoria LEED platinum. Questo lungo lavoro di ricostruzione e ristrutturazione viene mostrato al pubblico mondiale da "Rebuilding Greensburg" una serie televisiva che appare su SKY. Greensburg ha come principale attrattiva il maggiore pozzo artesiano scavato a mano in tutto il mondo. May 2007 tornado At 9:45 p.m. CDT on May 4, 2007,http://www.pratttribune.com/articles/2007/05/07/news/00.txt Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be in width — wider than the city itself — and traveled for nearly . Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent being severely damaged. The National Weather Service estimated winds of the tornado to reach . This was the first tornado to be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale and the first "5" classification since May 3, 1999, when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, as part of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. Tornado sirens sounded in the city twenty minutes before the tornado struck, and a tornado emergency was issued, which undoubtedly saved many lives. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and President George W. Bush both declared Kiowa County a disaster area, which opened up the affected areas for national and international aid. While some rebuilding was done, the population by 2010 was about 50% of what it was in 2000 — the 2000 census found 1,574 residents, while only 777 were recorded in the 2010 census. Green city After the tornado, the city council passed a resolution stating that all city buildings would be built to LEED - platinum standards, making it the first city in the nation to do so. Greensburg is rebuilding as a "green" town, with the help of Greensburg GreenTown, a non-profit organization created to help the residents learn about and implement the green living initiative. The city's power is supplied by ten 1.25 MW wind-turbines. Carbon offsets generated from the turbines are being managed by NativeEnergy, and have been purchased by charter supporters including Ben & Jerry's, Clif Bar, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Stonyfield Farm. Geografia Greensburg is located at (37.604316, -99.293488). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Clima The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Greensburg has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Greensburg, Kansas Demographics Attrazioni On October 16, 2006, a related smaller meteorite measuring 154 pounds (70 kilograms) was dug up near Greensburg ( ) and Haviland ( ). The only scientific publication discussing time of impact suggests a terrestrial age of 20,000 years.Honda, M.; Caffee, M. W.; Miura, Y. N.; Nagai, H.; Nagao, K.; Nishiizumi, K. ''Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 37:12, 1711-1728. It was once thought that its age was closer to 10,000 years. The town serves as a time station for the annual Race Across America, a transcontinental bicycle race. Trasporti * U.S. Route 54Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 40. * U.S. Route 183 * U.S. Route 400 * Paul Windle Municipal Airport Televisione Several television networks have drawn an interest in Greensburg as a subject for reality shows as a result of the Greensburg City Council's decision to make the city a 'green' town. A documentary on its reconstruction, called Greensburg, aired on Planet Green, a sister network of Discovery Channel. Another documentary, Earth 2100, drew attention to Greensburg as "the green town" that was built after the devastating 2007 tornado. The ABC film suggested a fictionalized, future Greensburg as a model showing how American towns can successfully implement green technology, and become a beacon for hope on a planet doomed to destruction from climate change and overpopulation. Foto Image:Arts Center Greensburg, Kansas, Photo by Eric Ascalon.jpg|Greensburg's arts center, constructed after the tornado to environmentally stringent LEED Platinum standards. The facility integrates its own solar panels and wind generators for energy self-sufficiency. Image:Kiowa county kansas courthouse 2009.jpg|Renovated Kiowa County courthouse in 2009. Note Further reading * History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook) * Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook) Collegamenti esterni ;Official sites * City of Greensburg * Greensburg - Directory of Public Officials * The Big Well and Pallasite Meteorite ;Newspaper * Kiowa County Signal ;Schools * USD 422, local school district ;2007 Tornado * Damage: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 * Recovery: Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4, Article 5 * Before: Photos before 2007 tornado ;Maps * Greensburg City Map, Kiowa County Map, KDOT Fonti Categoria:Città nel Kansas Categoria:Città ecologiche Categoria:LEED Categoria:Progetti ecologici Categoria:Risparmio energetico